Falling Skies

[[wysiwyg_imageupload:8566:]]Season 3 of Falling Skies premiered on TNT which looks to be the make or break season for the sci-fi alien invasion show, and if these two episodes are anything to go by there will not be a Season 4.

Overall, I felt the acting was really sub par and the story was just not good.

Things start off seven months after the events of Season Two with the new alien landing, where we are actually told from various characters that it’s seven months later at least a half dozen times.

In those seven months a lot has happened: Tom Mason is now the president, the new alien is revealed to be an ally, the alien races have names, the soldiers are more unified (even Pope says “sir”), there is a fix for the alien harness, Charleston is alive and thriving, and on and on.

The 2nd Mass (actually, I don’t believe they are referred to that anymore), come upon a group of harnessed kids and their Skidder masters where Weaver’s daughter’s boyfriend is amongst them. Young Matthew Mason sets EMP charges that disable the Mechs. The soldiers attack with two large “Mega-Mechs” (as Weaver describes them) coming up out of some sort of rubble that was supposed to mask their presence and protect them from the EMP charges? Then skidders come out of the mine and the 2nd Mass is being overwhelmed.

Good-guy skidders come to aid the 2nd Mass with Weaver and the new alien charging forth on their horses blasting with laser rifles.

Turns out the 2nd Mass was ambushed as there is a spy amongst them.

Tom Mason puts Arthur Manchester (Terry O’ Quinn) on the job of discovering the mole. Manchester has some list out of the blue of 50 or so possible traitors and narrows them down to a dozen or so. As he goes to give the list to Tom, Anne goes into labor so that has to wait. Machester is then seen in his office, and from a first person perspective we see someone enter who Manchester recognizes, and of course, murders Manchester with some sort of advanced laser gun taking the files in the process.

While all that was going on, Hal Mason is shown to be having dreams of meeting Kate in the woods where we learn she put something in his cerebral cortex. I guess we are suppose to believe that the friendly aliens that gave them the tech to cure the harnesses don’t have anything capable of discovering the probe in Hal’s head? Anyway, it’s also stated that the alien invading army that decimated the Earth has a new Overlord leader who is much worse than the last — it’s the human, Kate!

The new alien ally has been giving Mason and his “cabinet” inside info and advice about the invading army. The alien tells them they need to destroy a nuclear power plant so their ships can enter the atmosphere as some sort of network is powered up inhibiting that. Well, what is the 2nd Mass supposed to do as they know nothing about nuclear energy, and if they blow the power plant radiation will be leaked into the air?

Oh, wait. There is an uber-scientist living underground that has been powering Charleston all on his lonesome who just happens to have taught nuclear physics (or something). The guy is a genius recluse who doesn’t want to go topside – and hasn’t for quite some time – but is quickly talked out of that and aids the 2nd Mass.

So the 2nd Mass make plans to attack the Nuke plant, with Weaver and Pope set to lead a small group of men at a vulnerable spot. Turns out that was a ruse as they wanted the mole to give the invading aliens the wrong information, leaving the front gates open for Tom Mason and the scientist to enter and blow the plant sky high.

Well the ruse worked; Tom and his squad encounter harnessed kids with guns defending the plant. These kids have been harnesses too long(?) and are now becoming more alien-looking. They jump around and are kinda like zombies grunting and stuff, but with guns that always miss their mark. Well, one of the harnessed kids did manage to physically attack a soldier infecting/poisoning him in the process.

Back to Tom and the scientist; they make their way into the plant where the scientist guy tells them where to place the charges (only 3?), but first they need to power down the facility. As they make their way to the control room, more harnessed kids attack, and in the fight, the scientist loses his glasses (not kidding), and now he can’t see, so all hope is lost. But if he just tells Tom what to do, that should work? Well, Tom hits a button, but that doesn’t’ do the trick. Tom needs to connect a wire underneath the controls that has been cut. Orange wire to green (or whatever), and that’s that. Tom and everyone exit and the Power Plant explodes.

Meanwhile, getting back to Ann and her new baby girl: It’s straight out of the 1980s “V” series as the baby girl is advanced, can speak and even crawl around at only one week old or so. The baby even says “mama!” Also, never cries.

Throughout the episodes there has been lots of talk about not trusting their new alien allies as they could just be looking to replace the Overlords. The story goes that the Overlords attacked the good aliens’ planet or something, and now the good aliens have made it their universal mission to stop the Overlords and help out any planet that needs it.

Well, Pope and Weaver don’t really trust them, but Tom seems to be sold 100% as look at the progress they have made in the past – wait for it – seven months. So Tom takes Weaver to a secret place that only the good alien and Tom know about. It’s some sort of weapon being built, which looks like a big rail gun or something. So Tom is sold that these aliens are good because of this (hey, I’m just recapping, guys!). They can actually win the war!

I think that is basically the meat of the episodes.

As I stated above, the writing is really weak and the acting isn’t helping out. Terry O’Quinn was an asset lost, and sans Noah Wyle, Will Patton, and Colin Cunningham, the entire cast could go and not be missed.

Negatives for me were:

The CGI for the Mechs and Mega-Mechs

Acting

Story/Writing

“V” baby

Scientist guy

Kate Overlord

Charleston

No 2nd Mass

Positives:

Noah Wyle, Will Patton, and Colin Cunningham

Special effects for Skidders and good alien

Mpho Koaho as Anthony

Underlying story about the good aliens